“Youth violence prevention initiative set to expand to fifth London hospital”

By Sophie Eminson

| 12 February 2018

Redthread has announced plans to expand its award-winning hospital youth work service to a fifth emergency department in London.

The London-based youth work charity wants to place a team of youth workers in the emergency department at Homerton University Hospital in Hackney to support young people who are victims of violent crime.

In 2016, 364 11- to 25-year-olds attended Homerton University Hospital with assault-related injuries, the charity said.

Redthread youth workers try and speak to young victims of crime within the first few hours of them attending hospital, in an effort to engage the young person over lifestyle or behaviour problems that have contributed to them being injured.

The charity's Youth Violence Intervention programme currently runs in the capital's four major trauma centres based at King's College Hospital, St Mary's Hospital, St George's Hospital, and The Royal London.

Last November, Redthread announced plans to expand the programme to hospitals in Birmingham and Nottingham in the first half of 2018.

To help fund the latest expansion, the charity has been selected as a Co-op cause, part of the Co-op's Local Community Fund.

In November 2013, Redthread won the Youth Work and Children and Young People's Charity awards at the CYP Now Awards 2013.